#uclanMADE The Media And Digital Enterprise project of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Central Lancashire is working with partners in the UK and Turkey to help news startups stay up through innovative training and business support programmes.

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Apr 15, 2015

Here's what we found when we took the pulse of the journalism entrepreneurship ecosystem in the UK

There are a number of reasons
why the Journalism Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by Google at Campus London
on 27th February 2015 was remarkable.

Yes, it was the first forum of its kind to
bring together entrepreneurs, funding and support agencies, policy makers,
educators and researchers. But the story doesn’t end there: The workshop, which
was sponsored by the Media And Digital Enterprise (MADE) project at the
University of Central Lancashire and convened in collaboration with the
International Press Institute and Talk About Local, had the ambitious aim to
take the pulse of the journalism ecosystem in the UK.

Of course, a one-day workshop is all too short to surface the full range of relevant issues, acknowledged the convenor François Nel, now also a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

“I wish it had been possible for us to involve
more voices, to listen even more closely to those passionately and creatively
working to drive innovation in this space, and to spend more time deliberating
what may be done next,” wrote Nel in the interim summit report entitled, Talking the Pulse.

“That said, over the course of
the day we were able to draw on the knowledge and experiences of more than 70
engaged individuals with a wide range of experience, expertise and
perspectives. Thus it was possible to get at least some idea of the critical
issues affecting both the quality and velocity of journalism entrepreneurship,
and for that I would like to thank everyone involved.”

Whatever other insights a
closer examination of the grain of the discussions at the Journalism
Entrepreneurship Summit might bring, Nel said there should be no doubt about
this:

“Digital-savvy journalism
entrepreneurs operating at different scales and levels of intensity and in a
variety of genres and formats are now a standard feature on our news media
landscape and they make an essential contribution to meeting the critical information
needs of our communities. Hence, any conversation about the media in the UK –
whether in classrooms, boardrooms or committee meeting rooms – that fails to
seriously factor in this segment of the industry cannot be considered
comprehensive.

“Perhaps it’s time to go even
further? Perhaps it’s time to draw a line in the sand and to declare inadequate
any policy, any regulation, any legislation, any curriculum, any research
agenda, any representative body, any intervention or any other initiative with
ambitions to address the concerns of the news media in the UK and that does not
devote substantial attention to new and emerging news enterprises, including
(those definitely not exclusively) those operating at local and hyperlocal
levels?

“Yes, the (not so) new news
media enterprises are a standard and essential segment of the industry.
Therefore, their well-being should not be taken for granted. If our journalism
entrepreneurship ecosystem is to function at the scale, velocity and
effectiveness required to meet the varied needs of society and to ensure the
sustainability of the enterprises, there is much work to be done - and there is
much need for greater collaboration amongst those at work in this space.”

Just before the close of the
Journalism Entrepreneurship Summit, five final questions were put to everybody
in the room. Participants were asked to consider the day’s discussions and,
based on a scale of 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good), to rate the health of each
of the following components of the Journalism Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in the
UK: the regulatory environment; the service and support infrastructures; and
the operating environment. Finally, they were asked to give an overall rating.
Responses were submitted by the participants via tablets.Results were calculated live and displayed on
the screen, updating in real-time.

The workshop participants rated
the overall health of the journalism entrepreneurial ecosystem at 5.6 out of
10.“A physician might interpret that as
stable but with some significant risk factors, most notably in the areas of
policy and support for entrepreneurs,” said Nel. “To achieve optimum health
will the take even greater effort – and deeper collaboration – by all those
involved.”

The team involved in the first
Journalism Entrepreneurship Summit are keen to continue to play a constructive
role - and remain eager to connect others who do too.